4 The Counsel of Chalcedon

How many times have you

heard someone say when it
comes to a discussion about
differences in churches and
denominations, Why cant
we all just be Christians? I
would like to ask, Why cant
we all just be Calvinists?
R. B. Kuiper, 1886-1966,
Christian Reformed and
Orthodox Presbyterian pastor,
professor, and author, was a
proclaimer and defender of
the Reformed Faith. He wrote
several books, one of which
is still widely used today, The
Glorious Body of Christ, on
the Church. Two other helpful
books he wrote, which are
out of print, are, As To Being
Reformed (1926) and To Be or
Not to Be Reformed (1959). As
To Being Reformed was an
appeal to the members of the
Reformed Church in America
and the Christian Reformed
Church to continue soundly
Reformed or to become more
so. He was concerned about
the imminent peril in which
the American Calvinists were
and are of losing our precious
Reformed heritage, and the
supreme importance of holding
it fast. To Be or Not to Be
Reformed, written much later,
was a second plea to maintain
the Reformed heritage.
In As To Being Reformed,
Kuiper, has a chapter entitled
Christianity and Calvinism.
This is the basis for my title,
Why Cant We All Just Be
Calvinists? Kuiper made three
points (of course): I. It is more
important to be a Christian
than a Calvinist. II. Calvinism,
however, is true biblical
Christianity. While it is of more
importance to be a Christian,
it is of no little value, he states,
to be specically Reformed.
III. Every true Christian, in
the end, is a Calvinist. I would
like to use his outline and
some of his points myself to
issue a clarion call today to
just be Calvinists, to maintain
the Reformed faith and to
recognize and receive the
Reformed faith, Calvinism,
as the best human expression
of Biblical Christianity.
It is, as Kuiper said, of more
importance to be a Christian
than a Calvinist. What is
the relationship between
Christianity and Calvinism?
Isnt it sufcient to just be a
Christian? Kuiper states, The
most partisan Calvinist will
grant readily that it is far more
important to be a Christian
than a Calvinist. Nay, the
intelligent Calvinist will not
even express himself thus. In
view of the matchless glory
of the Christ, the latchet of
whose sandals John Calvin is
not worthy, kneeling down,
to loose, he resents the very
suggestion of thus comparing
Calvinism and Christianity.
Why Cant We All
Be Calvinists?
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things,
to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36
5 Making the Nations Christs Disciples
It is of no little value, however,
to be Reformed. Kuiper cites
B. B. Wareld who argued
that the Reformed faith is
not one species of religion, of
evangelicalism, like different
species of apples, among
others, which one prefers
above another. Rather, it is
the most perfectly developed
representative of the Christian
religion. In a word, Calvinism
is the most nearly perfect
interpretation of the same
species of Christianity. In the
nal analysis, Calvinism and
Christianity are practically
synonymous. He who departs
from Calvinism is taking a step
away from Christianity; that
he who ignores specically
Reformed doctrine is
endangering his doctrinal
position as a Christian; that he
who lets go of the ve points
of Calvinism is slipping in the
direction of Modernism. It may
be contended that the future,
as the past, of Christianity
itself is bound up with the
fortunes of Calvinism.
Kuiper concludes, however,
with the belief that every
true Christian, whatever
label he may bear, is at heart
a Calvinist. He may not call
himself a Calvinist; he may
even resent being called
by this name; his thinking
maybe far from consistently
Reformed, yet, in the nal
analysis he is Reformed.
What is a Calvinist? May not
a Calvinist be described as
a person who lives in utter
dependence on God, asks
Kuiper. But also the Arminian
Christian humbly recognizes
his dependence when engaged
in the act of prayer. There is
truth in the oft repeated saying
that an Arminian is a Calvinist
when on his knees before God.
Is it not the glory of Reformed
theology that it has held with
unwavering consistency to the
doctrine of salvation by grace?
But also our Methodist brethren
and sisters sing very heartily
of being Saved by Grace.
The Calvinist aims in all his
living at the glory of God.
But may not much the same
thing be said of every one who
truly knows and loves God:
surely every Christian loves
God above all else. Will he
then not as a matter of course
seek to live wholly for God?
To quote Dr. Wareld,
Whoever believes in God;
whoever recognizes in the
recesses of his soul his utter
dependence on God; whoever
in all his thoughts of salvation
hears in his heart of hearts
the echo of the soli Deo Gloria
of the evangelical profession
- by whatever name he may
call himself, or by whatever
intellectual puzzles his logical
understanding may be confused
Calvinism recognizes as
implicitly a Calvinist, and
as only requiring to permit
these fundamental principles
which underlie and give
its body to all true religion
to work themselves freely
and fully in thought and
feeling and action, to become
explicitly a Calvinist.
Charles Spurgeon wrote, The
old truth that Calvin preached,
that Augustine preached, that
Paul preached, is the truth
that I must preach to-day, or
else be false to my conscience
and my God. I cannot shape
the truth; I know of no such
thing as paring off the rough
edges of a doctrine. John
Knoxs gospel is my gospel.
That which thundered through
Scotland must thunder
through England again.
It is no novelty, then, that I am
preaching; no new doctrine. I
love to proclaim these strong
old doctrines that are called by
nickname Calvinism, but which
are truly and verily the revealed
truth of God as it is in Christ
Jesus. By this truth I make my
pilgrimage into the past, and
as I go, I see father after father,
confessor after confessor,
martyr after martyr, standing
up to shake hands with me . .
. Taking these things to be the
standard of my faith, I see the
land of the ancients peopled
with my brethren; I behold
multitudes who confess the
same as I do, and acknowledge
that this is the religion of
Gods own church. (Spurgeons
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?
6 The Counsel of Chalcedon
Sovereign Grace Sermons, Still
Waters Revival Books, p. 170).
Kuiper may certainly been
overly simplistic and optimistic,
and yet, we too must join the
clarion call to the Gospel,
the gospel of the glory of God
which humbles man, glories
God, and ultimately is the most
evangelistic in proclamation.
What are the Reformed
distinctives? What is a
Calvinist? When we speak
of the Distinctives of Reformed
Theology we are speaking of
certain views or principles
which we nd in the Scriptures.
Key ones are: The Reformed
Doctrine of Scripture, The
Sovereignty of God in Salvation,
The Reformed World-view,
The Covenant, The Concept
of Holiness, The Concept
of Church Government,
The Understanding of the
Sacraments, The Understanding
of Evangelism, The Reformed
Principle of Worship.
Fundamentally, however, a
Calvinist is a person who
regards the Bible as the
supernaturally inspired self-
revelation, and sufcient
revelation of God. A Calvinist
is a person who adheres to
that interpretation of the
Bible at which the historic
Christian church arrived
under the illumination of
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
truth, which has been set forth
and preserved in the creeds,
councils, confessions, and
catechisms of the church.
The church is not infallible.
Neither are creeds, catechism,
and confessions. The Bible
is infallible. Therefore our
interpretation of the Bible is not
to be equated with Scripture
itself. But the infallible Bible
plainly tells us that the church
is enlightened by the Spirit of
truth, John 16:13, 1 Tim. 3:15.
And, thus at times the truth of
the Bible has been illuminated
and formulated into creeds,
confessions, catechisms.
The Reformation, Calvinists,
Calvinism, was in essence a
return to the Holy Scriptures.
REFORMED THEOLOGY IS
SYSTEMATIC: The 66 books
of the Bible are to be read,
interpreted, and understood in
a coherent and unied manner.
Systematic theology does not
impose a system of theology
on the Bible but discerns
the teaching of the Bible in a
systematic, coherent, consistent
manner. The Bible is one
book, inspired and infallible.
It does not contradict itself. If
you reject the inspiration and
infallibility of the Bible you
can hold contradictory views.
To hold to the inspiration of
the Bible means that there is a
unity and consistency within
the Bible. Because theology
is systematic, every doctrine
of the faith touches on every
other doctrine: the person
of Christ is related to how
we understand salvation.
There is not single source
to which we can turn for an
authoritative expression of the
Reformed faith. We are indebted
to John Calvin as the rst great
systematizer of the teachings
of the Bible in the Institutes
of the Christian Religion.
But we are also indebted to
others: Augustine, Anselm,
Martin Luther, etc. Ofcial
understandings are found in
the creeds and confessions
and catechisms of the church:
the Belgic Confession, The
Heidelberg Catechism, the
Second Helvetic Confession,
the Canons of Dordt, the
Westminster Standards.
REFORMED THEOLOGY
IS CATHOLIC and
EVANGELICAL. The word
catholic simply means
universal; do not confuse it
with Roman Catholic. The
Reformed Faith is much more
comprehensive than the Five
Points of Calvinism. The
Remonstrants (protestors) in
Holland, followers of Jacob
Arminius (Arminianism)
protested against views held
by the Reformers. These were
set forth in ve points, the
Five Points of Arminianism,
if you will. The Five Points
of Calvinism, TULIP, was a
response to the Remonstrants.
The Synod of Dordt, in the
Netherlands, 1617-18, dened
and defended the Scriptures
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?
7 Making the Nations Christs Disciples
out of which the ve Points
of Calvinism were set forth in
contrast to the Remonstrants.
Reformed Theology, however,
shares much in common
with other Protestant and
Evangelical Churches.
B. B. Wareld stated,
Evangelicalism stands or falls
with Calvinism. The two chief
causes of the Reformation
were the issues of authority
(the Bible alone or the Bible
and tradition) and justication
(by faith alone or faith plus
works). The Biblical (Reformed)
faith was expressed in Sola
Scriptura (Scripture alone)
and Sola Fide (Faith alone).
But Calvinism is an all-
comprehensive understanding
of the Bible as it applies to
every area of life, politics,
society, science, art, etc., as
well as theology proper. It
presents a unied world and
life view. R. B. Kuiper stated,
Calvinism insists that man
should be religious not only
in such devotional activities
as praying, Bible-reading,
and church-going, but in all
his living: in business, in
politics, in recreation, and so
on. As Paul put it: Whether
you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do it all to the glory
of God, 1 Cor. 10:31.
REFORMED THEOLOGY
IS GOD-CENTERED. The
fundamental principle of the
Reformed faith is its view of
God. A Calvinist is a man, a
person, a Christian, who is God
centered, who believes Rom.
11:36, For of Him and through
Him and to Him are all things,
to whom be glory forever.
Amen. In his commentary on
Romans, John Calvin wrote
these comments on this verse:
He is the source of all things
in that they have proceeded
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?

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(continued on page 28)
28 The Counsel of Chalcedon
from him; He is the creator. He
is the agent through whom all
things subsist and are directed
to their proper end. And He
is the last end to whose glory
all things redound. God is
the source of all things; God
is the sustainer of all things;
God is the goal of all things!
This is Pauls justication for
a profoundly God-centered
approach to life. The fourfold
repetition of Him within
the compass of these few
words illumines the central
and exclusive focus for the
Christian God and His glory,
John Hannah, To God Be the
Glory, Crossway Books.
Reformed theology is
theocentric vs. anthropocentric,
God centered rather than man-
centered. B. B. Wareld stated,
The Calvinist is the man who
has seen God, and who having
seen God in His glory, is lled
on the one hand with a sense of
his own unworthiness to stand
in Gods sight as a creature, and
much more as a sinner, and on
the other hand, with adoring
wonder that nevertheless this
God is a God who receives
sinners. He who believes in
God without reserve and is
determined that God shall be
God to him in all his thinking,
feeling and willing in the
entire compass of his life
activities, intellectual, moral
and spiritual throughout
all his individual social and
religious relations, is by force of
that strictest of all logic which
presides over the outworking
of principles into thought and
life, by the very necessity
of the case, a Calvinist,
Calvin As a Theologian
and Calvinism Today.
A. N. Martin, The Practical
Implications of Calvinism,
says that Isaiah chapter 6
is the biblical account of
how God makes a Calvinist.
This vision brought a deep
experiential acquaintance with
his (Isaiahs) own sinfulness.
Next it brought an experimental
acquaintance with grace and
forgiveness. Third, it tells us
of a man who as brought to
utter resignation before God.
A Calvinist is not a man who
has seen Calvin; a Calvinist,
says B. B. Wareld, is a man
who h as seen God! There is no
such thing as a proud Calvinist.
Isaiah 57:15, For thus says
the High and Lofty One Who
inhabits eternity, whose name
is Holy: I dwell in the high
and holy place, With him who
has a contrite and humble
spirit, To revive the spirit of
the humble, And to revive the
heart of the contrite ones.
Sinclair Ferguson, when
professor at Westminster
Theological Seminary, would
begin his class on the Holy
Spirit, I am told, with these
words, which express the heart
and attitude of the Reformed
faith: The goal of theology
is the worship of God; the
posture of theology is on ones
knees; the mode of theology is
repentance.
Perhaps the nest statement
that distinguishes God-centered
theology from man-centered
theology was written by J. I.
Packer as the introduction
to John Owens book, The
Death of Death in the Death
of Christ. This is an excerpt:
There is no doubt that
Evangelicalism today is in
a state of perplexity and
unsettlement. In such matters
as the practice of evangelism,
the teaching of holiness, the
building up of local church
life, the pastors dealing with
souls and the exercise of
discipline, there is evidence
of widespread dissatisfaction
with things as they are and of
equally widespread uncertainty
as to the road ahead. This is a
complex phenomenon, to which
many factors have contributed;
but if we go to the root of the
matter, we shall nd that these
perplexities are all ultimately
due to our having lost our
grip on the Biblical gospel.
Without realizing it, we
have during the past century
bartered that gospel for a
substitute product which,
though it looks similar enough
in points of detail, is as a whole
a decidedly different thing.
Hence our troubles; for the
substitute product does not
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?
(continued from page 7)
29 Making the Nations Christs Disciples
answer the ends for which the
authentic gospel has in past
days proved itself so mighty.
The new gospel conspicuously
fails to produce deep reverence,
deep repentance, deep
humility, a spirit of worship,
a concern for the church.
Why? We would suggest
that the reason lies in its
own character and content.
It fails to make men God-
centered in their thoughts and
God-fearing in their hearts
because this is not primarily
what it is trying to do.
One way of stating the
difference between it and the
old gospel is to say that it is
too exclusively concerned to
be helpful to man - to bring
peace, comfort, happiness,
satisfaction - and too little
concerned to glorify God.
The old gospel was helpful,
too - more so, indeed, than
is the new - but (so to speak)
incidentally, for its rst
concern was always to give
glory to God. It was always
and essentially a proclamation
of Divine sovereignty in mercy
and judgment, a summons to
bow down and worship the
mighty Lord on whom man
depends for all good, both in
nature and in grace. Its center
of reference was unambiguously
God. But in the new Gospel
the center of reference is man....
Whereas the chief aim of the
old was to teach men to worship
God the concern of the new
seems limited to making them
feel better. The subject of the
old gospel was God and His
ways with men the subject of
the new is man and the help
God gives him. There is a
world of difference. The whole
perspective and emphasis of
gospel preaching has changed.
From this change of interest
has sprung a change of content,
for the new gospel has in effect
reformulated the biblical
message in the supposed
interests of helpfulness.
Accordingly, the themes of
mans natural inability to
believe, of God free election
being the ultimate cause of
salvation, and of Christ dying
specically for his sheep,
are not preached. These
doctrines, it would be said,
are not helpful; they would
drive sinners to despair, by
suggesting to them that it is not
in their own power to be saved
through Christ....the result of
these omissions is that part
of the biblical gospel is now
preached as if it were the whole
of that gospel; and a half-truth
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?
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30 The Counsel of Chalcedon
masquerading as the whole truth becomes a
complete untruth. Thus, we appeal to men as
if they all had the ability to receive Christ at
any time; we speak of His redeeming work as
if he had done no more by dying than make it
possible for us to save ourselves by believing;
we speak of Gods love as if it were no more
than a general willingness to receive any who
will turn and trust; and we depict the Father
and the Son, not as sovereignly active in
drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting
in quiet impotence at the door of our hearts;
for us to let them in. It is undeniable that
this is how we preach; perhaps this is what
we really believe. But it needs to be said with
emphasis that this set of twisted, half truths
is something other than the biblical gospel.
The Bible is against us when we preach in
this way; and the fact that such preaching
has become almost standard practice among
us only shows how urgent it is that we should
review this matter. To recover the old,
authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our
preaching and practice back into line with it,
is perhaps our most pressing present need.
Again, we conclude with the comment by B.
B. Wareld, It may be contended that the
future, as the past, of Christianity itself is
bound up with the fortunes of Calvinism.
For further popular introductory reading,
we would suggest Grace Unknown by R.C.
Sproul, Putting Amazing Back Into Grace by
Michael Horton, and the DVD production,
Amazing Grace The History & Theology
of Calvinism, www.apologeticsgroup.com.
Why Cant We All Be Calvinists?
(continued from editorial page 2)
Rev. Wayne Rogers
www.providencepeople.org
courageous churches in Muslim-dominated
Indonesia have a rooster on their steeple so
they will remember not to deny Jesus as Peter
did before the rooster crowed.
Today, you can still see rooster weather
vanes on houses and barns as well as other
buildings. Although you can nd weather
vanes of all sorts, the rooster is considered the
most classic and popular of all weather vanes.
You might want to purchase one for your
own house. The next time you see a rooster
weather vane, not only let it remind you not to
deny the Lord Jesus Christ, but also to be bold
for Jesus.
Rev. Wayne Rogers
www.providencepeople.org